A native Texan, Martinez currently lives near San Antonio, Texas. He received his B.F.A. from the San Antonio Art Institute and an M.F.A. from Ravenhurst University in the Netherlands. Martinez shared his views on painting and what art means to him with Dr. Ricardo Romo de La Prensa Texas.
“For many years now, my artwork has come together through several energy forces including the people I have met, places that I have been, and unforgettable moments that I have experienced. Places, people, and moments have added to my creative soul. As a result, my art has evolved into the development of “santuarios” or sanctuaries for my soul.
Using key energy elements, which often include romance, life, religion, death, and cultural identity, my art can now be universally translated into themes identifiable to many races and cultures.
Often, my work presents conflicting art statements where viewers are forced to consider multiple expressions and opinions within the same piece. Much like the modern world from which I have come where cultures are divided by natural land borders and unnatural philosophical and economic divisions, my art shows how these realities continue to contribute to my view of social issues and my passion for creating dialogue and discussion in Others.
Each piece of my work carries with it a piece of my soul. From love, passion, envy, desire and hope, to the larger issues of conflict, peace, poverty and war, the forms that make up my body of work are individual visual statements designed to show my creative soul and impact the emotional souls of others.”
Martinez has participated in group art exhibits at The Blue Star Contemporary Arts Museum, San Antonio, Texas, The Museum of Modern Art, Tamprre, Finland, Galleria Amores in Mexico City, and MexicArte Museum, Austin, Texas. Martinez has also done solo art projects at the Museum of the West in Oslo, Norway and at the Finland Naticional Acadamy of Art in Helsinki, Finland.
Martinez is also a part of the permanent collection of the University of Texas in San Antonio and the Latino Art Museum at the Pomona Art Colony, Pomona, California as well at Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church, San Dimas, California. Today his work is collected by individuals nationally and internationally impact the emotional souls of others.